State submitting payment: $150 (Articles of Group, Rhode Island Secretary of State). Annual Report (Type 632), filed February 1 – Could 1 annually. Late penalty: $25 (after Could 31). Charge: $50 (annual report) + $400 minimal annual tax (paid individually to RI Division of Taxation). Prime choose: Northwest Registered Agent, $39 + $150 = $189 yr one, RA included free, then $125/yr. Finances various: Bizee, $0 + $150. Be aware: Bizee shares buyer knowledge with advertising and marketing companions.
Finest LLC Service in Rhode Island (2026): Prime Picks for RI Formation
Finest general: Northwest Registered Agent – $39 + $150 = $189. Free RA yr one, working settlement template, compliance reminders. No knowledge promoting.
Finances choose: Bizee – $0 + $150 state payment. Free RA yr one. Shares knowledge with advertising and marketing companions.
Northwest Registered Agent – Best for Rhode Island LLCs
$39 service payment + $150 state payment = $189 whole yr one. Registered agent included free yr one, then $125/yr. Household-owned since 1998, A+ BBB, doesn’t promote your knowledge.
Form Your Rhode Island LLC with Northwest →Lowest 3-year price we discovered: Northwest $289 vs Bizee $298 vs ZenBusiness $497 (service charges; state charges additional). Northwest additionally places its deal with in your public filings as a substitute of yours the place the state permits.
Rhode Island LLC At a Look
| Merchandise | Element |
|---|---|
| Formation doc | Articles of Group |
| Submitting company | Rhode Island Secretary of State |
| State submitting payment | $150 |
| Processing time | 1-3 enterprise days |
| Annual requirement | Annual Report (Type 632), filed February 1 – Could 1 annually. Late penalty: $25 (after Could 31). |
| Annual payment | $50 (annual report) + $400 minimal annual tax (paid individually to RI Division of Taxation) |
| State earnings tax | Graduated: 3.75% to five.99% on LLC pass-through earnings |
| Franchise / minimal tax | $400 obligatory minimal annual tax paid to the RI Division of Taxation (applies to all LLCs by way of Type RI-1065, no matter earnings or exercise) |
| Registered agent required | Sure, bodily Rhode Island deal with required |
Rhode Island compliance notice: Two annual obligations require monitoring: (1) Annual Report ($50, Secretary of State, February 1-Could 1) and (2) $400 minimal annual tax (RI Division of Taxation, March 15). A formation service solely tracks the Secretary of State submitting. Your CPA or tax skilled should individually observe the $400 minimal tax. Finances $450+ in annual compliance prices, not counting registered agent charges.
Rhode Island LLC Formation Providers In contrast
| Service | RI Service Charge | State Charge | RA Yr 1 | RA Renewal | Yr-1 Whole | 3-Yr Whole |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northwest | $39 | $150 | $0 (included) | $125/yr | $189 | ~$1,739 (incl. $400/yr annual cost) |
| ZenBusiness Starter | $0 | $150 | $99 add-on | $199/yr | $150 + $99 RA | Greater |
| Bizee Primary* | $0 | $150 | $0 (included) | $149/yr | $150 | Reasonable |
| Inc Authority | $0 | $150 | $0 (included) | $249/yr | $150 | Reasonable |
| LegalZoom Professional | $249 | $150 | Not included | $249/yr | Highest | Highest |
*Bizee Primary: articles of group submitting solely. RA free yr one, then $149/yr. Bizee shares buyer knowledge with advertising and marketing companions. LegalZoom RA by no means included; auto-renewal traps apply on add-on companies. Charges verified October 2026.
Northwest Registered Agent: Prime Choose for Rhode Island
Northwest Registered Agent
Service payment: $39 • State payment: $150 • Yr-1 whole: $189
Northwest has fashioned LLCs since 1998. Household-owned, A+ BBB, bodily places of work in all 50 states. They don’t promote buyer knowledge, which is a real differentiator. The $39 formation payment features a free yr of registered agent service (then $125/yr), an working settlement template, and same-day submitting.
For Rhode Island: Northwest information your Articles of Group with the Rhode Island Secretary of State and sends compliance reminders to your annual report deadline. For Rhode Island, they observe each the Secretary of State annual report deadline and provide you with a warning to the Division of Taxation obligations. Their Enterprise Identification suite (added January 2026) additionally contains enterprise deal with and telephone companies.
Not included: EIN help is a $50 add-on. Get your EIN free at IRS.gov in quarter-hour.
ZenBusiness
ZenBusiness
Service payment: $0 (Starter) • State payment: $150 • RA: $99 add-on in yr 1, then $199/yr (auto-renewing)
ZenBusiness gives $0 formation on its Starter plan, however registered agent service isn’t included: it prices $99 for the primary yr, then $199/yr. On a 3-year whole foundation, most Rhode Island LLC house owners needing registered agent service pay extra with ZenBusiness than with Northwest. The dashboard and compliance alert system are good; look ahead to auto-renewing subscriptions at checkout.
Bizee (previously Incfile)
Bizee
Service payment: $0 (Primary) • State payment: $150 • RA: Free yr 1, then $149/yr
Bizee gives $0 formation with free registered agent for yr one (then $149/yr). Caveat: Bizee shares buyer knowledge with advertising and marketing companions. If knowledge privateness issues to you, this can be a significant downside. Bizee is an inexpensive finances choice on price alone however falls quick on privateness.
Inc Authority
Inc Authority
Service payment: $0 • State payment: $150 • RA: Free yr 1, then $249/yr
Inc Authority gives $0 formation with free first-year registered agent. The $249/yr renewal is larger than each Bizee ($149) and Northwest ($125), making it costlier long-term regardless of the free formation. Aggressive upselling throughout checkout is a identified concern.
LegalZoom
LegalZoom
Service payment: $249+ • State payment: $150 • RA: $249/yr, by no means included
LegalZoom’s Professional plan prices $249 and registered agent isn’t included at any worth level. Auto-renewal traps on bookkeeping and lawyer trial add-ons are well-documented. Model recognition doesn’t translate to higher formation high quality than Northwest at $39. Not advisable for Rhode Island LLC formation on price or worth grounds.
DIY Submitting in Rhode Island
You possibly can file your Articles of Group immediately with the Rhode Island Secretary of State with no formation service:
- Search the Rhode Island enterprise entity database for title availability
- Full and submit the Articles of Group on-line or by mail
- Pay the $150 submitting payment
- Designate your self or a service as registered agent
DIY saves the $39 service payment however requires monitoring compliance deadlines independently. For many new LLC house owners, the $39 Northwest payment is value it for same-day submitting, compliance monitoring, and a free yr of registered agent service.
Often Requested Questions
The state submitting payment for Articles of Group is $150. Utilizing Northwest Registered Agent provides $39, for $189 yr one together with a free first yr of registered agent service. Finances moreover for $450 in annual prices: $50 annual report plus $400 minimal annual tax.
Each Rhode Island LLC should pay a $400 minimal annual cost to the RI Division of Taxation annually, filed on Type RI-1065. This is applicable no matter income, earnings, or enterprise exercise – even an LLC with zero income owes $400. It’s due March 15 for calendar-year LLCs. It’s a separate obligation from the $50 annual report filed with the Secretary of State.
The annual report (Type 632) submitting window runs February 1 by way of Could 1 annually. A $25 penalty applies to filings submitted after Could 31. The primary annual report is due the yr after your LLC’s formation. Be aware: this deadline modified from the outdated September 1-November 1 window in 2022.
Rhode Island doesn’t use the time period ‘franchise tax,’ however its $400 obligatory minimal annual cost on LLCs (by way of Type RI-1065) features equivalently. All LLCs pay $400 per yr to the Division of Taxation no matter earnings, on prime of the $50 annual report back to the Secretary of State.
Rhode Island taxes LLC pass-through earnings at graduated charges from 3.75% to five.99%. LLC members report their share of earnings on their private Rhode Island returns (Type RI-1040). The LLC itself information Type RI-1065 and pays the $400 minimal annual cost.
